The present invention includes methods of increasing the power handling capability of a power line. One method of the present invention includes providing a conductor configured to transmit energy intermediate plural locations; supporting the conductor at a plurality of positions intermediate the locations, the supporting at a plurality of positions defining a plurality of spans of the conductor; creating a model of the conductor; identifying a critical span; altering the modelled conductor responsive to the identifying; and analyzing the modelled an conductor following the altering.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A method of analyzing a power line to increase the power handling capability of the power line comprising: providing data of a conductor, a plurality of supports, and swing information of a plurality of insulators intermediate the conductor and respective ones of the supports of an existing power line configured to transmit electrical energy, the existing power line being configured according to initial design parameters; providing a first model of the existing power line configured according to the initial design parameters using the data, the first model including the swing information of the insulators; analyzing the first model of the existing power line at an increased operating condition to identify a violation of the conductor responsive to the increased operating condition; and responsive to the analyzing, altering the initial design parameters to provide a second model of the existing power line configured according to modified design parameters different than the initial design parameters to provide a design having increased power handling capability of the conductor, the second model including swing information of the insulators different than the swing information of the first model.
2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the providing data comprises providing data of the existing power line configured according to the initial design parameters comprising a location of at least one clamp relative to the conductor, and wherein the altering comprises altering the position of the at least one clamp relative to the conductor.
3. The method according to claim 2 wherein the altering the position comprises altering to avoid at least one of a clearance violation and a swing violation.
4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the altering comprises removing a portion of the conductor.
5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the providing the first model comprises analyzing the position of insulators relative to the conductor to resolve forces exerted upon the insulators in a static equilibrium state to determine equilibrium points of a plural span system.
6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the providing the first model comprises analyzing movement of insulators coupled with the conductor and stiffness of individual supports.
7. The method according to claim 1 wherein the providing data comprises providing data of a plurality of spans of the existing power line, and the altering comprises altering individual ones of the spans.
8. The method according to claim 1 wherein the providing data comprises providing data of a plurality of spans of the existing power line, and the providing the first model comprises providing equilibrium points for the spans.
9. The method according to claim 1 wherein the providing data comprises providing data of a plurality of spans of the existing power line, and the altering comprises altering a span having a violation.
10. The method according to claim 1 wherein the providing data comprises providing data of a plurality of spans of the existing power line, and the altering comprises altering a span adjacent to another span having a violation.
11. The method according to claim 10 wherein the altering comprises altering the span adjacent the another span having a tension violation.
12. The method according to claim 1 wherein the providing the first model comprises providing without use of the Ruling Span concept.
13. The method according to claim 1 wherein the providing data comprises providing data of the existing power line according to initial design parameters comprising original design parameters.
14. The method according to claim 1 wherein the providing data comprises providing data of the existing power line using survey information obtained from the existing power line in the field.
15. The method according to claim 1 further comprising analyzing the second model of the existing power line at an increased operation condition.
16. The method according to claim 1 further comprising analyzing the second model including the swing information of the insulators with respect to current safety code.
17. The method according to claim 1 wherein the providing data comprises providing data including a plurality of different tensions of the conductor in a plurality of respective spans.
18. The method according to claim 17 wherein the providing the first model comprises providing the first model including different tensions of the conductor using the data and the altering comprises altering to provide the second model including tensions of the conductor different than the tensions of the first model.
19. The method according to claim 1 further comprising identifying a portion of the conductor after the analyzing and the altering comprises removing the portion conductor.
20. The method according to claim 1 further comprising verifying the second model including the swing information of the insulators against clearances.
21. A method of analyzing a power line to increase the power handling capability of the power line comprising: providing data of an existing power line configured to transmit electrical energy, the existing power line being configured according to initial design parameters and comprising a conductor coupled with a plurality of insulators and supported by a plurality of supports defining a plurality of spans, the data including swing information of the insulators; providing a first model of the existing power line configured according to the initial design parameters using the data, the providing the first model comprising providing the first model including swing information of the insulators; analyzing the first model of the existing power line at an increased operating condition to identify a violation of the conductor responsive to the increased operating condition; responsive to the analyzing, altering the initial design parameters to provide a second model of the existing power line including swing information of the insulators and configured according to modified design parameters different than the initial design parameters to provide a design having increased power handling capability of the conductor, wherein the altering comprises at least one of adjusting a location of clamp relative to the conductor and removing a portion of the conductor; and analyzing the second model of the existing power line at an increased operating condition.
22. The method according to claim 21 wherein the providing data comprises providing data of the existing power line according to initial design parameters comprising original design parameters.
23. An article of manufacture comprising: a computer usable medium having computer useable code embodied therein and configured to cause a processor to perform steps comprising: receiving data of a conductor, a plurality of supports, and swing information of a plurality of insulators intermediate the conductor and respective ones of the supports of an existing power line configured to transmit electrical energy, the existing power line being configured according to initial design parameters; providing a first model of the existing power line configured according to the initial design parameters using the data, the first model including the swing information of the insulators; analyzing the first model of the existing power line at an increased operating condition to identify a violation of the conductor responsive to the increased operating condition; and responsive to the analyzing, altering the initial design parameters to provide a second model of the existing power line configured according to modified design parameters different than the initial design parameters to provide a design having increased power handling capability of the conductor, the second model including swing information of the insulators different than the swing information of the first model.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
January 27, 1998
October 16, 2001
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